That I Would Be Good
by Makayla
Summary: Sasuke never asks the questions swimming in his mind, but somehow, Naruto still manages to answer them. Warning: implied SasuNaru NaruSasu -Repost-


That I Would Be Good

Disclaimer: The song and Naruto does not belong to me unfortunately……but in the long run that's probably a good thing…

If you see anything that needs to be changed please tell me :D Or if you thought it was funnny/ cute/ moving that would be nice to know too :)

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be good, even if I did nothing_

Sasuke watched with some humour as Naruto tried to rid himself of the group of foxes that seemed to have taken an unusual interest in him.

"Dammit!" the blonde cussed.

The black-haired ninja just smirked a witty retort, "I told you not to feed them dobe." 'Dobe' glared at him before looking back down at the cubs

"I haven't got anything else" he told them in frustration. The little animals chose to ignore him, instead scouring over every inch of his crouching body with wet, twitching noses to decide this for themselves. One of them managed to sniff its way up onto his neck which startled Naruto into uncontrollable giggles.

From his tree-shaped resting post Sasuke watched as the kyūbi-carrier almost fell on the small cub as he toppled backwards, still laughing.

Delighted with this new game the fox quickly recovered and began running its nose along every bare bit of skin he could find. His brother and sister, seeing this, quickly decided it would be a good idea to join in.

It took Naruto five minutes to free himself from his hyperactive captors, five minutes of extreme entertainment for his friend. Sasuke then watched with his head cocked in puzzlement as Naruto gently deposited each sleepy cub back into its den. His breath caught in his throat when the boy turned around; the blond's face just for one second transformed by the softest smile Sasuke had ever seen anyone give.

He suddenly felt very small.

And then it was gone and Naruto was back to normal, his face sporting a half-frown, "Hey, why didn't you help me, teme?" he asked irritably. Sasuke had a perfect teasing reply all lined up, but for some reason he didn't find himself saying it.

"Sorry," he quickly shrugged as though that would hide the oddness of such an apology. Naruto stared at him in surprise for a second before grinning the huge infectious grin that seemed to light up his entire face. He walked over to his rival.

"Going soft Sasuke?" he asked, in return he was fixed with a patent Uchiha glare, which clearly said 'fuck you'. As usual this had no effect on the blond in the slightest. Instead the genin laughed and smacked the boy on the back, "come on I haven't kicked your arse yet, and that was the whole point of us coming out here right?"

"I think you'll find that'll be your arse that gets kicked, dobe," Sasuke informed him

"Not this time teme!" Naruto grinned, obviously pleased to find Sasuke had reverted back to his normal self at the taunt.

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be good, even if I got the thumbs down_

"Sasuke!" Kakashi's voice cracked like a whip and Sasuke barely avoided wincing, "that was completely unnecessary!" he gestured at the two older boys lying in the dirt. They were both bleeding from the nose and mouth and covered almost head to toe with bruises. A few limbs were pulled into unnatural positions that obviously indicated broken bones.

Now that it was finished Sasuke was forced to admit that he had taken it too far. He felt a shameful blush start to spread across his cheeks but he lifted his head as though daring it to continue. Needless to say it didn't. "Yes, Sensei," he replied tonelessly.

"If you _ever_ do something like this again, I will have you taken off the missions!" Kakashi threatened him angrily, before stalking away to call a medical team.

Sasuke glared into the distanced, determined not to let the shame he felt show on his face. Unfortunately fate didn't seem to be on his side today because Naruto strolled into his line of vision. Sasuke decided to glare at him instead, waiting for the mocking statement the boy obviously had to say. That was until he noticed the bundle of fur held in his arms.

The fox was disgustingly skinny, covered in dirt and all sorts of filth that Sasuke didn't want to even think about, but it looked up at him with determined eyes, despite its heavy beating from the two other boys. The way Naruto gingerly handled it, he wouldn't have been surprised to find the animal had several broken bones of its own.

Sasuke looked back up at the blond with an unreadable expression, and was surprised to find a small smile flitting across his rival's lips. "That was great," Naruto admitted in an excited whisper to a shocked Sasuke, "fuck Kakashi, he's just a cold-hearted bastard," he grinned again before walking away to find somebody to heal the pitiful creature in his arms.

Sasuke watched him go, still shocked, and suddenly feeling unashamed of the act he'd just committed. It had definitely been worth it.

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be good, if I got and stayed sick_

"Achoo!" the three people in front of him turned round to stare at the Uchiha, he tried to glare at them but for some reason glaring seemed to equal sneezing

"Ahh…Sasuke? Are you sick?" Naruto asked, his voice was full of wonderment, as though the idea that Uchiha Sasuke could get sick had never even crossed his mind. Not that Sasuke was sick, mind you.

"No, I'm in perfect health dobe," Sasuke answered coldly, unfortunately the effect was ruined by another sneeze bursting through where it wasn't wanted. Sasuke was forced to pull a handkerchief from his pocket at this point.

"I don't know Sasuke-kun, your cheeks look a little flushed," Sakura pointed out. The little training she'd had with Tsunade had introduced her to the basics of healing. She pressed a hand to his head before he had time to move away and nodded, "that's a fever."

"Sasuke, you should go home," Kakashi told him

"I'm fine," he glared at the older man, which sent him into sneezes again.

"No you're not, go home," the fact that only one eye on the whole Kakashi's face was visible did not make his glare any less potent. Unfortunately for him, Sasuke was too busy sneezing to notice.

"Can't you do something Sakura?" the blacked-haired ninja heard Naruto ask, it may have been just his fever but he could sworn he'd caught a hint of worry in the boy's voice

Sakura fidgeted uncomfortably and shook her head, "viral infections are on a much higher level," she told him, "I've only been taught how to heal surface wounds."

Naruto frowned before turning to his rival, "if you don't go home now, you'll just get sicker,"

"He's right Sasuke," Sakura added

"Go home Sasuke, you can come back when you're feeling well again," Kakashi told him. Sasuke wanted to glare at them but didn't dare set off another fit. Realising that they weren't going to back down he decided to concede and train at home instead.

"Fine," he turned to stalk away only to stop at the sound of Kakashi's voice

"Naruto, go with him to make sure he doesn't try and sneak away to train,"

"But Kakashi," he heard Naruto whine in reply. No doubt he was wishing to spend time with his precious Sakura-chan.

"Go, Naruto,"

"Fine," came the sullen response, almost identical to the one Sasuke had given, "come on, teme, looks like I've gotta baby-sit you," the blond grumbled angrily

"Fuck off; I can look after myself,"

"So that's why you decided to come training when you're sick? Yeah, that's looking after yourself really well," Naruto replied sarcastically, apparently being grumpy gave the boy some temporary brains.

"What I do with myself has nothing to do with you," Sasuke glared again before ducking his head into his handkerchief at the resulting sneeze, "go fuck off back to Sakura,"

"This hasn't got anything to do with Sakura, so leave her out off it!" Sasuke resisted the urge to glare again, settling for an annoyed sigh instead

"I didn't say it did, I was talking about your unhealthy obsession with her,"

"I am not obsessed with Sakura!" Naruto argued, coming to an abrupt halt, "god you're even pissier when you're sick. How did you get sick anyway?"

"I don't know," Sasuke replied in annoyance, still walking away ignoring the way his skin prickled in the cold - he was not going to shiver.

Naruto ran to catch up with him, "ha! Knowing you, you've probably been training too much, you've gotta rest sometimes you know,"

"Hn,"

"So you_ have _been training too much. Baka, do I need to come over and make sure you're in bed every night or something?"

"Naruto, shut up and fuck off," the raven-haired boy growled, vainly trying to force down another sneeze, his head was starting to hurt and he was feeling dizzy. He swayed on his feet for a second and Naruto was suddenly in front of him. He pushed his arm out to move the boy out of the way, but was forced to use him as a leaning post instead.

"Sasuke?"

"Shit," the boy muttered before straightening, he mentally punched himself for becoming so ill; how was he supposed to train in this state?

"Sasuke? Are you alright?" Naruto's concerned voice continued unnoticed. Sasuke let go of the blond to trudge towards his house, thankful that it wasn't very far away. Naruto jogged to catch up, pulling the staggering brunet to a halt so he could place an arm round his waist

"I don't need your help," Sasuke glared, sneezed, and struggled weakly in his friend's grip

"Teme, shut up!" Naruto growled in annoyance. Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the look the blond gave him, decided to let the usuratonkachi do whatever made him feel better.

The walk to the Uchiha's apartment was silent, except for the occasional sneeze. Sasuke was as close to ecstatic as he could get when he saw the familiar building come into sight; the thought of a warm, soft bed was suddenly incredibly appealing; despite his earlier zeal to train.

The two of them quickly made their way indoors and, after hesitating for a second, Naruto asked where his bedroom was. Once they reached it the blond lay his rival down on his bed before standing and frowning.

"See, look at what happens when you get sick," Naruto told him as he watched his friend sniffle and shift uncomfortably with his fever. Sasuke glared up at him, pulling his clothes tighter around him as though that would ward off the cold his fever made him feel.

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke growled

"Everyone gets sick, teme - even you, you are human you know," Naruto told him with a glare and pout.

"I know that," Sasuke argued indignantly, which caused the blond to snort.

"So it's ok ne? Just get better soon,"

"How long have I got to get better before it becomes unacceptable?" Sasuke asked, yawning with the fatigue that had been creeping up slowly, only to pounce as they'd reached the house.

He had meant the question as a joke towards Naruto, but he was surprised to see anger in the other's eyes, "Don't say that teme! You've got as long as it takes you to heal! None of this 'acceptable' bullshit," he hissed, "I don't care if you're sick for the rest of your life, if that's how long it takes you to get better!" Sasuke stared up at him, eyes blinking slowly in confusion and exhaustion before realising he'd hit a nerve. A weak smirk made its way gradually across his face

"That's good to know… dobe."

"Shut up, you tosser," the blond's cheeks flushed pink

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be good, even if I gained ten pounds_

"Sasuke?" A blond head popped through the crack in his door

"What dobe?" Naruto watched the half-naked ninja make his way back over to the bed to straighten it out

"You're feeling better?" he asked excitedly

"Yes," a huge mischievous grin slid across the kyūbi-carrier's face

"What?" Sasuke asked, half-annoyed, half-wary. Naruto gave a happy cry before pouncing on his friend, enveloping him in a hug that sent them both down onto the bed, "Naruto!" Sasuke glared at the mop of yellow hair beneath his chin (and didn't sneeze!) whilst the boy just laughed gleefully.

"Sasuke!"

"What?" the raven-haired asked irritably

"You've gained weight!"

"What!"

"Look," Naruto poked a soft, smooth belly, which had previously been hardened muscle

"That's your fault! You wouldn't let me out of bed for a week and a half and insisted on feeding me crap!"

"Ramen is not crap!" Naruto huffed unhappily, "besides I like it," and with that he shuffled down to lay his head on the expanse of skin. To be honest it was only the slightest layer of flesh, and beneath it was as firm as ever

"Naruto get off me!" Sasuke pushed down on his friend's shoulders, trying to shove him off, but his opponent merely wrapped his arms around his waist, determined not to lose his new pillow, "Naruto!" The blond boy turned his head to muffle his sniggers in Sasuke's skin. The sharingan-user jerked in surprise, which caused Naruto to stare up at him

"You're ticklish?" he asked incredulously

"No!" Sasuke denied heatedly

"You are!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!" Naruto continued childishly, only to pout when Sasuke refused to be drawn into his game and went back to dislodging the blond instead, "fine fine," Naruto released his rival, "you are such a party pooper." Sasuke looked at him in confusion

"A party pooper? How childish can you get Naruto?" he paused, "in fact don't answer that. Just get out and let me get dressed," Sasuke growled

"You're going training?" Naruto asked as he complied

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Sasuke replied coldly whilst he stood, he quickly re-fixed the bed (although not without a glare in Naruto's direction) before walking over to his drawers to pick out a t-shirt.

A few days ago Naruto would probably have been fairly offended by the statement, but he'd dealt with much worse during Sasuke's flu period. Instead he just grinned cheekily before replying, "but if you train you'll lose your belly and then what can I use as my pillow?"

"Naruto, piss off," Sasuke answered simply, tugging his t-shirt down over said belly. Naruto's laughter followed him as he stalked out of the bedroom.

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be fine, even if I went bankrupt_

"Come on you can treat me to some ramen!" Naruto proclaimed

"No."

"No? Why not?" the blond whined

"Because I've got no money, dobe" Sasuke replied impatiently

Naruto's eyes turned wide in concern, "What? You're broke? Why didn't you say so? You could come stay with me! Wait, you don't pay rent do you? So I could stay…"

He was broken off by Sasuke's annoyed response, "I meant on me baka!"

"Teme! Why didn't you say that then?" the blond huffed, crossing his arms and turning his head away. They walked in silence for a while before Sasuke realised something and blinked

"Dobe, you'd let me stay at yours?" the dark-haired ninja asked cautiously, trying to make the question sound off-hand at the same time

"'Course!" the blond sounded scandalised, "we're friends aren't we?"

"Rivals," Sasuke corrected a little aloofly

"Oh get lost, besides, you'd do the same to for me," Sasuke blinked in surprise as he realised the boy was right

"Hn," he replied, glaring off at some trees to hide his embarrassment at the admission

Naruto grinned gleefully, and wrapped an arm around the unsuspecting boy's shoulders, "Sasuke-teme loves me!" he declared happily - and loudly

"Naruto! Get off me!"

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be good, if I lost my hair and my youth_

"We are not going to die here!" Naruto hissed at his friend, "we're gonna be old, wrinkly men with half a head of grey hair, trying to kick each other's asses at shogi, yabbering about the good old days!"

"You'll still want me like that then, dobe?" his rival asked with a sharp grin. Naruto looked up at him in surprise

"If you hadn't put 'dobe' at the end of that I would stuck you with a kunai," Sasuke smirked

"I know, comes in handy sometimes, right dobe?"

"Teme. I think you've gone mad with blood loss," Naruto informed him, his eyes back to searching the area for either the enemy or the rest of their team.

Sasuke shifted slightly and winced, "I think you might be right."

"There they are," Naruto pointed down at the two enemy ninja's entering the clearing

"Great," Sasuke replied sarcastically with another wince

Naruto smirked, "knew you'd like that. Oh and to answer your question; yes…you're stomach will be soft again by then," he added cheekily

"Fuck off," Sasuke glared at his comrade. He jumped down to ambush the enemy, Naruto following swiftly with a satisfied grin.

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be great, if I was no longer queen_

"It would seem that Sasuke is no longer queen-bee," Kakashi noted as he watched the group of girls crowd around the attractive new comer. Not that Sasuke seemed to mind his demotion.

"Aww poor Sasuke-teme, however will you live without your fanclub?" the mocking tone of his rival came just as the brunet was about to walk away

"Excellently, thank you," he growled out, Naruto laughed

"Well, don't think you'll be getting rid of me that easily," he said, waving his chopsticks in his friend's direction before quickly divulging in his ramen again. Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh and instead continued to walk out of Ichiraku's Ramen Bar, "hey Sasuke where are you going? Sasuke? Sasuke!"

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be good, if was not all-knowing_

"Sasuke, why does ramen taste so good?" the blond asked as he made quick work of his 4th bowl

"I don't know," the dark-eyed ninja snapped tetchily, not looking in his direction

"Oh," he actually seemed quite disappointed at the answer

"What?" Sasuke asked, still annoyed

"It's just, I figured if anyone would know it'd be you," Sasuke looked over at the boy in surprise, his elbows still resting on the bar

"What?" his tone was no longer sharp, but more towards confused

"I don't know," the blonde shrugged, "you seem to know all sorts of strange stuff, but I guess I over-estimated ya," Sasuke blinked, but refused the feeling of inadequacy rising in his gut

"Err…"

Naruto looked up at him and grinned, "heh, I don't mind though, you can't know everything, right?" Sasuke blinked again, "in fact I think I prefer it if you didn't know - it would have just been weird if you did," Sasuke growled angrily, why couldn't the stupid boy just make up his mind?

"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke replied, mentally huffing in annoyance and slight embarrassment (two feelings that were starting to become very common around the blonde)

"Hey, don't call me that!"

"I'll stop calling you it, when you stop being one," Sasuke replied calmly, returning to looking out of the Ramen Bar with indifference

"I'm not one!" Naruto argued crossly

"I beg to differ,"

"Yes, but you don't know everything do you?" the blonde poked his chopsticks, once again, at the sharingan-user. Sasuke looked over at him in surprise, "ha, stumped!" Sasuke decided that the best way to deal with such behaviour was to throw his head back to its original position, his nose upturned arrogantly.

He ignored the sniggering laughter.

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be loved, even when I numb myself_

Sometimes emotions just get in the way… this is especially true when Naruto is playing his puppy-dog-eyes card.

"No Naruto," Sasuke answered coldly, leaning back on the log he was sitting on.

"Sasuke, if you don't then I can't," the blonde whined

"I'm well aware of that dobe," Sasuke replied with a scathing look

"You're cruel,"

"The only reason you want to go to Ino's party is so you can see Sakura." Sasuke pointed out sharply, "you can see her during training,"

"It's not the same," he whined again and Sasuke glared at him; stupid idiot.

"I don't care," and there go the puppy-dog eyes again. Sasuke sniffed and looked away from the boy with as much dignity as he could muster. If he couldn't see him, he couldn't cave.

"God, why are you such a bastard?" Naruto growled, Sasuke just glanced back at him and smirked, "why don't you like spending time with people?" The smirk was swiped off his face immediately

"Why should I?" he asked coldly

"Because they're your friends?" Naruto replied sarcastically

Sasuke scowled, "No they're not,"

"You say that, but you're lying," Naruto told him

"Why would I be lying?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment before answering, "because you're scared,"

"How am I scared?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed further

"You're scared of getting hurt by people you trust," the blond replied simply, "you trusted your brother and…"

"Shut up, don't say another fucking word," the brunet's voice was colder than ice and his glare threatened to cut the other in half if he so much as breathed too loudly.

Then suddenly there was nothing, Sasuke's face was a mask of stony indifference and cool disdain. He stood up, looking down at Naruto like he wasn't even there.

The kyūbi-carrier's face crunched up in anger, "don't look at me like that Sasuke!"

"I said shut up," Sasuke replied apathetically, his eyes still cold. Naruto jumped up beside him

"Why? Because I told the truth?" he shouted at his rival, but the Uchiha's expression didn't change, "don't look at me like that!" he aimed a punch at the boy's chest but it was deflected. He relayed his momentum into a roundhouse kick, only for the brunet to grab the ankle, capture his wrist, spin him around and let go.

Naruto flew backwards, landing hard on the forest floor and scraping along it for several metres before coming to a stop. His body curled inwards in pain before he forced it to re-straighten

"You're still too slow, dobe," the cold sound of his friend's voice swept through the clearing

"Teme," Naruto growled through gritted teeth as he forced himself to his feet

Sasuke ignored him, "and I'll look at you however I want," he continued

"Teme!" Naruto repeated, "What kind of person looks at their friend like that?" he hissed furiously

"You're not my friend."

"Then what the hell am I?"

Sasuke had a thousand and one things he wanted to say but he gritted his teeth and replied scathingly, "you're just a rival."

"Just a rival?! Why would I look after my _rival_ when he was sick? Why would my _rival_ buy me dinner after training? Why would I risk my life for _a rival!_ For God's sake Sasuke, _let it go_!" His voice echoed through the trees and the nesting birds fled in a flurry of wings and surprised chattering. Naruto stared intensely at the sharingan-user, his chest heaving ever-so-slightly in wake of his outburst.

Sasuke stared back, his eyes widened in surprise, until he found his tongue, "I should let it go? Why don't you let it go? I've insulted you, defeated you and gloated… why are you still even here!" he shouted back.

Naruto breathed in relief at finally dragging some emotion from the boy, "because as much as you think it will, numbing yourself isn't going to make your life any easier!" he retorted just as loudly

"It's worked fine so far!"

"Oh sure it has!" Naruto replied sardonically, "and it made you miserable and lonely. Stop trying to hide behind a lie Sasuke!"

"What lie?" the genin exclaimed

"This lie where you act like you don't give a shit! If me or Sakura died, tell me you wouldn't care," Sasuke opened his mouth to tell him just that but was interrupted, "tell me and mean it, teme!"

Sasuke paused but recovered swiftly, "Of course I wouldn't care, usuratonkachi" he replied cruelly

"Liar!" Naruto screamed at him

"What would you know? What makes you think I give a shit about either of you?" Sasuke yelled back

"You hesitated, and if you really didn't give a shit, why the hell do you keep saving our lives?" He asked heatedly.

Sasuke's mouth slipped open as he desperately thought of a reply, "because missions would be a little harder with only one person," he scraped together, causing Naruto to growl in frustration

"God, was that even worth it?" he groaned angrily

"Fuck off Naruto,"

"No" Sasuke blinked, "I'm not just gonna fuck off and leave you to wallow in your own self-pity you bastard." He stormed over to where Sasuke was staring at him in surprise, "I hope you feel pretty damn good because I don't even want to go to that party anymore! Fuck, you're more trouble than you're worth sometimes, teme!" he told him irritably. He grasped the genin by the sleeve and started to drag him away, "I'm hungry, we're going to Ichimaru's."

"What the hell? Get off me dobe, I'm not coming with you!" he struggled weakly in the blond's grip

"Yes you bloody are," he growled back, "and I'm gonna eat and you're gonna bitch. Then I'm gonna finish in record time, give you the finger and then we're gonna fuck off home. Just like we always do." He sighed in aggravation, "and you'll bloody well like it." Sasuke gawped at him, still being dragged as the other stormed back to town

"Wha…why…?" he asked in confusion and Naruto glared at him

"Just because you fancy acting like a dick, teme, doesn't mean I'm gonna let you," Naruto informed him.

Sasuke blinked again, "you…you…"

"What?" Naruto asked in annoyance

"You're insane," Sasuke told him

"Yeah, I know," Naruto replied, "I'm helping your pathetic ass aren't I?"

"I am not pathetic!" the dark-eyed ninja argued

"Sasuke, your arse may as well not be there," his counterpart replied

"What! I wasn't talking about my arse! ...wait!…you were looking?!"

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would good, even when I am overwhelmed_

"Happy Birthday Sasuke!" the blond shouted excitedly, squeezing the shocked brunet into a giant hug.

"Wha…what?"

"Sakura told me, come on let's get ramen!"

"Dobe…" Sasuke started irritably only to be interrupted

"My treat," Naruto wheedled with a huge grin. Unfortunately this statement threw Sasuke into such a state of astonishment that he completely froze, "Sasuke? Hello?" Naruto waved his hand in front of his friend's face without reaction, he sighed in annoyance, "it wasn't that amazing," he grumbled before grabbing the Uchiha's hand and dragging him towards Ichimaru's, "the things I do for you, teme."

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be loved, even when I was fuming_

"NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!" an angry voice echoed across the farm that Team 7 had been working at, "YOU IDIOT! WHAT IF YOU HAD BROKEN YOUR LEG?"

"Sasuke I'm fine," Naruto told him exasperatedly

"I don't care if you're fine! You shouldn't have done anything that stupid anyway! What the hell were you thinking? Walking on a collapsing roof!"

"I didn't know it was collapsing!" Naruto argued

"Any idiot could have seen it was falling to pieces!"

"For God's sake Sasuke, you're not my mother! Piss off!"

"Sasuke's right, Naruto," Kakashi broke through, "you need to be more aware of your surroundings,"

"Fine, whatever, I get it. I'm going home," the blond turned away from the others. He heard Sakura sigh and frowned angrily. Anything he ever did was wrong; he was sure that if it had been Sasuke who'd fallen through the roof she would have just cooed at him and asked if he was alright.

His hands balled into fists as he stomped into the woods.

The walk home gave him time to cool off and by the time he'd reached his apartment he was pretty much calm. Well, that was until he realised that Sasuke was already there, leaning against the wall, with his arms folded and one foot pressed against the brick. Great, Sasuke even beat him to his own home.

"What the hell do you want?" Naruto growled at him, "come to yell at me some more, tell me the rest of the bones in my body I could've broken?"

"No," his eyes looked down at the floor and then up and off to the left. Naruto was reminded of the time he'd asked for help in the Water Country. He felt his anger dissipate into curiosity.

"So?" he watched the boy expectantly. Sasuke turned back to him with his mouth open to say something, but at the last minute he changed his mind and scowled

"I was just making sure you hadn't killed yourself on the way home," he huffed before stalking past the blonde. This action was hindered however, by a small hand grasping his wrist. Turning back in surprise he found himself staring directly into a crystal blue gaze.

"Sasuke, I…sorry if I worried you," he finished sincerely

"I wasn't worried!" Sasuke growled in reply

"Then, why were you so angry?"

Sasuke stared at him for several seconds before turning away, "Hn," Naruto attempted to hold back a smile, but the attempt failed.

"Thanks," he added before fixing him with a vulpine grin, "teme."

And everything was fine in the land of Naruto

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be good, even if I was clingy_

"Getting a bit clingy aren't you Sasuke?" Naruto chuckled at his own joke as the black-haired boy once again followed behind him as he moved from job to job

Sasuke glared but didn't dignify the question with a response. The idiot knew full well that this was Kakashi's order. If he hadn't gone and fallen off that damn roof Sasuke wouldn't have to be following him.

Naruto scrapped more floating gunk from the pond and deposited it into a black bag with a disgusted expression. Turning back from his own black bag Sasuke watched as Naruto moved to repeat the process only to slip on the mud at the pond's edge.

Orange limbs flailed comically in the air as the blond desperately tried to stay upright making Sasuke hold back a sigh as he grasped the back of Naruto's oversized jacket and pulled the smaller boy flush against his chest.

"What did you do that for?" Naruto shouted, "I was perfectly fine on my own!" he continued angrily. Sasuke was about to roll his eyes until he noticed the pink tinge of the boy's skin.

Smirking instead he replied, "Still think I'm just being clingy, usuratonkachi?"

"Piss off," the blonde growled pulling away from his grip; unfortunately he couldn't escape the blush on his cheeks so easily.

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be good, even if I lost sanity_

Sasuke slipped off his shoes before stepping up into his house. He began to pad silently towards his bedroom but froze immediately when his keen ears picked up the steady breathing of another. His head whipped round to the source only to find himself staring at the back of his own couch. Blinking past the sleepy conclusion that his couch had suddenly come to life Sasuke crept towards it.

The moonlight streaming through his uncovered window granted him some visibility, so when he peered over the edge of his sofa he was well aware of the orange. Sasuke relaxed before he even took in the mop of blonde hair, whiskered cheeks and drooling mouth. Only Naruto would smother himself in such a colour.

With tenseness out of the way Sasuke felt free to be as angry as he liked. He leaned over to shake the boy roughly

"Wha…? Sasuke!" was his oh-so-intelligent response

"What the hell are you doing in my house, dobe?" Sasuke asked irately

"Hey! Kakashi wanted me to tell you something. I waited outside for ages but then I noticed your window was open so I came in - it was cold!"

"Why didn't you just write it down and post it through the letterbox?" Sasuke suggested sarcastically, waiting for some hare-brained excuse. However Naruto exceeded his expectations by just staring at him blankly

"I didn't think of that," he admitted

Sasuke smacked his forehead into his hand as he felt the beginnings of a headache, "what did Kakashi want?" he ground out

"Er…" Naruto blinked, "I can't remember," oh yes, that headache had just arrived. Naruto looked up at the clock on the wall and then back at Sasuke in shock, "where the hell of you been? It's two o'clock in the morning!"

"None of your business," Sasuke replied with a glare, "now get out so I can go to sleep." Of course Naruto ignored this command and studied his friend instead, taking in the extreme exhaustion in Sasuke's movements and the subtle sheen of drying sweat.

"Have you been training?" Naruto asked incredulously, "are you insane? It's two o'clock in the morning!" He reiterated, "How do you manage to train past nightfall anyway?"

"Sharingan," Sasuke muttered in a sudden fit of lack-of-sleep-induced honesty

"God, you are insane! Are you trying kill yourself?"

"No, idiot, I'm trying to get stronger!" Sasuke snapped

"Stronger? You're not going to get stronger if you get sick you crazy bastard!" Naruto told him. He stood slowly and stretched the kinks from his body, which left Sasuke trying to convince himself that he wasn't staring at the slash of skin exposed below the orange jacket, "oh!" Naruto grinned, a little unnervingly, "I remembered what Kakashi wanted me to tell you... He said to get an early night, training starts at six tomorrow." Sasuke blinked- his eyes wide- whilst Naruto clasped his hands behind his head and strolled towards the door "see you tomorrow Sasuke, bright and early!" The blonde genin threw a hand nonchalantly into the air as a pitiful excuse for a wave

"Bastard," Sasuke muttered as the boy left, only to be surprised by a blonde head reappearing round the door

"I heard that!" Naruto exclaimed brattily

"Good," Sasuke replied arrogantly, before striding over to relock the door. There was a brief struggle involving Sasuke pushing his rival's head out of the way whilst Naruto attempted to resist. It ended up well though, with Naruto firmly on the other side of the door and Sasuke feeling fairly smug. Until, of course, he remembered he had to be up in three hours and he groaned

"I'll tell Kakashi you'll be late!" Naruto shouted through the door, "see ya!"

"Don't you dare!" the Uchiha shouted back, "Naruto!" A sudden banging on the wall made him jump in the air and the words 'shut the hell up' were distinctively heard, despite the two feet of space between his apartment and the neighbour's.

"Sorry!" came a chipper reply from outside, making Sasuke remember why he'd been shouting in the first place. He rushed to unlock the door only to find the blonde had already gone. Sighing, he decided the idiot could tell Kakashi whatever he wanted, he'd still be on time either way.

(n)(a)(r)(u)(t)(o)

_That I would be good, whether with or without you_

The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was the dark; it was night. Then there was the steady breathing of another occupant in the room, followed by a chilling breeze. He tried to sit up so he could take in his surroundings but hadn't managed to rise an inch off the ground before he fell backwards under the onslaught of a sudden shock of agony that hit him like a ton of bricks…or maybe that was two tons…

He cried out in pain and surprise before the sound of someone clambering across a wooden floor reached his ears. Suddenly there was a mass of orange, yellow and black blocking his vision.

"Sasuke!" even his whisper was loud. The raven-haired boy tried to get up again but for a second time fell the few centimetres he had gained with a moan, "are you alright? Should I get Sakura?" Naruto asked worriedly, but Sasuke only (somehow) shook his head.

"W…" he broke into an excruciating coughing fit at the dryness of his throat, Naruto quickly took the initiative and rushed to fetch some water. Sasuke considered turning his head to watch him but by the time the coughing had died down Naruto was already back.

The kyūbi-carrier unscrewed the lid before sliding his hand into dirty tresses to lift the boy's mouth to the rim. If he noticed Sasuke's hands balled helplessly at his side he said nothing.

"How...how long have I slept?" he rasped out after Naruto had taken the bottle away

"Three days,"

"…Itachi?"

"Dead," Naruto answered shortly. Sasuke blinked but no satisfaction came from this fact, he felt empty - like there was nothing left anymore.

Biting his lip, Naruto sat in silence for a moment, waiting for the information to sink in before he spoke again, "are…are you coming home now?" he asked softly and Sasuke stared at him, his eyes wide in surprise.

"What?"

"We've been waiting to find you for four years; what the hell did you think we wanted?" Naruto answered his amazement angrily.

"But…" did they really think he'd be allowed back so easily?

"But nothing! If anyone's got anything to say about it they can all come through me!"

Naruto's solution to everything, he really hadn't changed much

"I don't think it'll be that easy," Sasuke informed him, already feeling the last four years melting away frighteningly quickly

"Then we'll go somewhere else, all three of us," Sasuke almost went into shock again

"If you leave the village then you'll never become hokage,"

"Don't care. Me and Sakura; you're not going to leave us again," Naruto told him seriously

"Don't be an idiot;" Sasuke hissed back, "I wouldn't let you come after me," the ex-genin replied

"Yeah, because we both know how well that went last time, don't we?" Naruto replied sarcastically, "why couldn't you take us with you to find Itachi? You could have come back, we could have all gone."

"I didn't want you involved," Sasuke answered coldly; there was silence for a minute.

"Were we not good enough?" Naruto asked quietly, looking out of the window.

The sharingan-user looked up at his old rival, really seeing him for the first time since he'd woken up. He'd changed, gotten older, taller, stronger, his face was more sculpted and his eyes less kittenish yet his hair still flopped everywhere and his cheeks were still marked with whisker-like scars. He was still Naruto, but he'd never seen the boy look so forlorn.

"It wasn't that," Sasuke finally admitted," it…it just would have been too complicated."

"Why would it?" Naruto pushed childishly

"Think about it," Sasuke replied with a glare, "even if I was allowed back in I wouldn't be able to leave the village for at least five years" he finished angrily causing Naruto to pause and look away again

"I guess, but…" he looked back and sighed, "…I missed you," he conceded embarrassedly

"I…" Sasuke blinked, trying to find the right words to say. He hadn't missed him; he hadn't missed any of them. It had been more like a constant ache, the knowledge that something was gone and the desire to have it back, all shoved into a depth of his heart he'd never managed to freeze.

Apparently his eyes said it all for him though, "teme," the blond growled, "still too proud for your own good." Sasuke didn't respond; instead he turned his head away as haughtily as he could manage, "Sasuke, if you missed me why don't you just say so?"

"Who said I did?" he replied

"Sasuke! Can't you stop the games for five seconds?" Naruto growled in frustration, leaving Sasuke feeling oddly chastened, "you just…and…you…and…fuck Sasuke! I don't even know who you are anymore. I haven't seen you- really seen you- for four years and I know things aren't just gonna go back to what they were before but I don't know… what to do…" He finished, face screwed up in confusion

And now it was awkward and now Sasuke didn't know what to do either

"You could at least say sorry," Naruto continued, "_you left us_, you just up and left us, for _Orochimaru_, the least you could do is try a 'sorry'!"

"I'm not sorry," and he wasn't, Orochimaru had given him exactly what he wanted; what he _needed_, and he had used it to full effect

"Damn it, Sasuke! You're such a bastard!" Naruto replied standing to storm away

"Naruto…" he didn't even know why he said it, or why he grasped the hem of the boy's trouser leg, but it was irrefutable that it was something that had to be done, "I…" he swallowed past the lump in his throat, "…I missed you," he finally admitted

"God you're tosser!" the blonde sighed but he slumped back down beside him so the name calling was suddenly not a bad thing, "was that really so hard?" he asked, so ready to just forgive and forget, just like always.

"You're too soft," Sasuke whispered to him the words that seemed to follow through his history. Naruto blinked at him

"What do you mean? You're the one with the belly," he grinned but his eyes said he understood.

Sasuke played along, "usuratonkachi, my stomach's not soft!" he growled, which resulted in Naruto pressing a hand against an uninjured part of his abdomen, 'just to make sure', "get off!" he exclaimed roughly

"Nuh uh," the blond replied him a childish shake of the head, "it's soft,"

"It is not!" Sasuke argued, knowing full well that his stomach was a spread of trained muscle- not that this deterred Naruto any.

"It is," Naruto grinned, "and you know where else is?" Sasuke blinked in an obvious lack of understanding, "here," two fingers pressed down on his mouth making Sasuke blink again before he scowled and tried to bite them. Naruto laughed as he quickly retracted his hand, "teme…" he added still grinning infectiously; not that Sasuke was going to smile…

But only that idiot could bring him so close.


End file.
